Abstract:

Broadening the participation in computing is important, and there is a huge variety of ways for each person to have a positive impact. In this talk, I will tell my story – the variety of ways I have been involved, but the purpose will be to help everyone see that each person has something to contribute to this effort. Each contribution is important and adds to the whole. Based on the Dari Proverb “Qatra Qatra Darya Maisha” which means to “Drop by Drop a river is made” – this talk will help each person to determine what they have that they can contribute, give guidance on how to build alliances to make sure that contribution has the largest impact possible, and how to support others to continue the impact into the future.

Bio:

Jan Plane’s passion is improving computer science education through quality of content as well as making the field welcoming and inclusive for all. Soon after starting at the University of Maryland in 1989, she worked with students to start the first affinity group for women in computing which has grown from a dozen members to several hundred now. In 1999 she began work on a project to develop a computer science department at the National University of Rwanda during their recovery from the civil war and genocide. For the next 15 years, she continued to work on other projects establishing and improving computing programs at universities in several countries of sub-Saharan Africa and at Kabul University in Afghanistan. Jan holds graduate degrees in both computer science and education therefore she focuses on computer science curriculum, pedagogical methods, and underrepresented populations in computing. She is currently a professor of Computer and Data Science at Ripon College in Wisconsin and an emerita faculty member of the Computer Science Department of the University of Maryland College Park where she was also the founding Director of the Maryland Center for Women in Computing and the Iribe Initiative for Inclusion and Diversity for Computing.